William vogel



2 sneetsf-sheet '1.

Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

L'TI l ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. j

WILLIAM VOGEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR "IO THE CONSOLIDATED RAILVAY TELEPHONE AND SIGNAL COMPANY.

RAILROAD SIGNALING APPARATUS..A

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,753, dated August 17, 1886.

Application tiled November 19, 1885. 'Serial No. 188,275.

.To all whom it may concern: l

Beit known that I, WILLIAM VOGEL. a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, 5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Signaling Apparatus; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the class of railroad- 1o signals wherein the apparatus is actuated by means of electricity.

It-is my object to permit the prevention of collision between trains moving toward each other on the same track by causing a Warningx5 signal to be transmitted automatically from the locomotive of one train to that of the other from certain predetermined points.

To this end my invention consists in the general construction of the mechanism which 2o I employ for the purpose, and it also consists in certain details of the construction of such mechanism, and in combinations of parts form, ing the same, all as hereinafter more fully set forth. i

Referring to the drawings, Figure l repre. sents a railroad-track supposed to extend between two stations, each provided with an electrical apparatus adapted to the particular purpose; Fig. 2, a side elevation of one form 30 of signaling-post; Fig. 3, a similar view ofa signaling-post of the other form employed; Fig. 4, a plan view of the same; Figs. 5 and 6, detail views of the electrical apparatus; Fig. 7, a plan view of the truck portion of a locoi 35 motive provided with details of my improvement; Fig. 8, a side elevation of the-same; Fig. 9, a top view of the lower rubber on the locomotive about to rub a post; Figs. l0 and 11, detail views, and Fig. 12 a side elevation 4o of a locomotive provided with the signal-re` ceiving apparatus.

Arepresentsa station containing the electromagnetic apparatus D, and B a station containing the electro-magnetic apparatus D', 4. 5 both ap paratusesD and D'being alike and connected by telegraph-wires,- and between which stations is the railroad-track C.

E F and E F are electro-magnets, respectively, at the stations A and B, connected with 5o batteries a b c and ct' b c', and providedvwith armatures d and d'.

(No model.)

The numbers l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and l0 denote ground-plates, and e and c designate metallic plates at the respective stations for contact of the vibratory armatures d d', for a 55 purpose hereinafter described, the nnlettered shaded portions of the plates c e being of nonconducting material.

G, G', G2, and G3 are iron posts ofy a particular construction, and serving a purpose 6o hereinafter described, and H and H are also iron posts, differing in purpose and construction from the posts first named, and. these posts are placed along the track, on both sides of the same, at desired points near the stations, 6 5 being secured in position upon the sleepers.

The posts are connected with the apparatuses D and D at the stations by means of telegraphwiresff, g g', 7L It', m, and n, which descend from the poles supporting them (not shown) 7o and are connected underground with such posts and apparatuses.

The dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings indicate the earth-currents. Each of the posts G G G2 G3 is recessed vertically, as repre- 75 sented in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to afford to the part c' a springy nature, and which carries a metallic contact-point, k, insulated from it by means of an interposed plate, Z, of no.nconducting material. From the severalinsulated So contact-points k lead, respectively, the wires on, h', g', and a through the batteries, electromagnets E F and E' F', 'and to earth, the battery a and electromagnet E thus'being vin the circuit of the conductor h', batteryb and elec- S 5 tro-magnet F in that of the conductor n, battery a and electro-magnet E' in the circuit of the conductor m, and battery b and electromagnet F in that of the conductor g'.

Rubbers o, of non-conducting material, and 9o p, of conducting material and springy, the

functions of which'are hereinafter more fully described, and which are clearly shown in Figs. 2, 7, 8, 9, and l0, are provided upon the locomotive-the one c being below the one p, 95 and projecting laterally less far than the latter, to strike the posts G, G', G2, and G, which are nearer to the track than the posts H and H-by being secured to wooden holsters q on the right sides of the same at the truck porico 'tion,.as shown in Fig. 8, and the rubbers ocan come into contact only with posts G, G', G2, and

i3, while the rubbers p, which are higher than the rubbers o, can only touch the posts H H above the levels of the first-named posts, which are lower than the posts H H. The latter are insulated l'rom the ground by, pret'- erably, glass blocks u, (shown in Figs. 3 and 4,) and from these posts, respectively, lead the wires fand j".

Owing to the fact that the rubber p, which is slotted at its extremities, as shown in Figs. S and 11, to permit to it a slight longitudinal motion in its bearings, is insulated from the locomotive, the electric current from a wire, f or f', when either a post H or H is rubbed by the part p, cannot reach the metal of the locomotive, but must pass along the conducting-wire r, (see Fig. 12,) which must be connected at one end with the rubber p and lead thence tothe signalingmechanism I in the locomotive. rlhis signaling mechanism comprises an electro magnet, K, armature s. ratchet-wheel t, spools c and w, (the three parts t, v, and w being integral, as shown in a detail view at the lower side of Fig. 12,)and a weight, L, attached by a rope to the spool w. Another rope, .v, connects the spool v with the valve of the whistle XV of the locomotive, in order t-hat when the armature sis attracted by the electro-magnet l( to the position s (shown by the dotted lilies) the ratchet wheel t will be released and the spool device rotated by the descent of the weight L, whereby tle rope :r will be pulled, opening the whistle-valve and causingthe whistling to continue untilstopped by hand.

The operation of my device to cause a train started from Ato go to B to signal another train on its way t'rom I3 to A ol' its approach is as t'ollows: The locomotive ofthe first-named train will cause the armature d' ofthe apparatus D' to move upon the metal plate c', since the electromagnet F' is in the circuit ol the conductingwire g and the rubber o will have come into contact with the post G, producing Contact with the rear inner side of the same ol' the contact-point 7a, thus closing the circuit otherwise open, owing to the normallyseparatcd condition ofthe insulated part kt'rom the post, and the current will llow upon the parti. upon the wire g', through the eleetro-magnet F', battery b', wires g m, to the ground-plate l, thence to the ground plate 8 and back to the startingpoint k. If while the train is running from A to B another leaves B for A. the rubber p on the locomotive of the last named train will collie into contact with the post H, causing a current of electricity to entersuch locomotive by the following course: From the insulated post H over the wiref, through the armature d', plate c', battery a' in the course of the wire f, byway of the wire m and the ground-plate l, back through the ground-plate 5, railroadtrack, wheels ot" the locomotive over the wire lr, (sec Fig. 12,) through the electro-magnet K to the starting-point H. At the moment the foregoing course of the current is started the armature s will be released from the ratchetwheel I.. and the weight L will draw the rope m, causing the whistle XV to act, thus warning to stop, owing to the danger ahead imminent from the approaching train, and seek a side track. On the arrival at B of the train from A the rubber o on its locomotive will produce contact in the post G', whereby the armature d' will be attracted by the magnet E' from the metallic plate c'. The course of this current is as follows: From the post G over wires m, and through the intervening battery c' to the ground-plate 1, thence to the ground-plate and back to the starting-point. ln ease a train shall be started rst from B to A, the contact will occur by the rubber o on the locomotive with the post G, whereby the armature d in theapparatusD will be moved upon the plate c, and the locomotive of a train afterward started from A to B will produce contact of its rubherp with the post H', causing the current to be led into the signaling apparatus on the locomotive to aetuate the whistle of the latter, the course of the current in the last instance being as follows: From the post H', over the wiref' to the armature l metallic plate e, battery a, ground-plate 9; thence to ground-plate 7 by way of the rail, over the locomotive-wheels to the wire r, Fig. 12, and thence through the electron1agnet K to the startingpoint H'. On the arrival olthe train at station B it will make contact of its rubber o with the post G, causing the armature l in the station A to move outof contact with the metallic plate c by the attraction ol' the eleetromagnet F, the course of the current being from the post G" over the wire n and electro-magnet F, through the battery b tothe ground-plate S), lo the ground-plate 10, and back to the contact 76,01' starting-point in the post G.

\Vith the aid of the foregoing description it will be llnderstood that the normal condi tion ot' the contact-posts H and H is in open circuit, owing to the normal position of the armatures d and d,in contact with the non-conducting portions 0l" the blocks c and c', and that it is the purpose ol' the contact-posts G and G, by being actuated to close the circuits containing them, Io excite the electro-magnets E F' to attract the armatures upon the conducting-plates e c', and thereby close the circuits containing the posts H H', thus electrifying the latter and rendering them capable of communicating their condition, by way of a rubber, p, to the signaling device upon a passing locomotive to be warned of an approaching train, and such approaching train, before reaching a station, brushes with its part o a contact-point, Gr or G, thereby exciting the electro-magnet E' or F, and attracting the armature d or d' upon the non-conducting portion of a plate, c or c', and opening the circuit containing a post, H or H', whereby the resultant non-electrified condition of the latter Will prevent either from producing any eftect upon a rubber, p, on a passing locomotive, the signal device on which will thus be unaffected, and thereby indicate a clear track ahead. In short,`the normal condition of each circuit is open, and the closing 'of one containing a post, G, G', G2, or G3,closes or opens, as required, that containing a post, H or H. 1t will thus be seen that the mechanisms on the locomotives is actuated only by the currents from the posts H and H', While those from the postsG, G', G2, and G3 only serve the purpose of moving the armatures d and d' into and out of contact with the metallic plates e and e', the two varieties of posts being located in the immediate vicinities of the respective stations. Of course each station. is provided with two apparatuses, D or D', to serve for the signaling of trains moving toward and from it, the connections of thevarious devices hereinbefore described being always the same,exeept as to the ground-plates, which maybe omitted by lconnecting the wires which lead to them direct lo the rails, whence thc currents will ground.

NVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lelters'latent, is-

l. A railroad-train signal having electromagnct devices D and D' in the way-stations connected by conducting-wires from one station to the other, metallic contact-posts G, G', G2, and G3, adjacent to the track near, the sta-- tions in circuits connecting the same, and recessed to ati'ord springy sides 'L' adjacent to the tracks, and containing in the recesses insulated contact-points k, forming the termini of the broken circuits connecting the stations, insulated metallic contact-posts H and H' within circuits connecting two stations, and means, substantially7 as described, upon the trains for making electrical contact in and with the said posts to produce the desired signals, substantially as set forth.

2. A railroad-train signal having in the waystations electro-magnet devices D D', comprising electro-magnets provided with Vibratory armatures d d', metal plates ce', and batteries, contact-posts G, G', G2,'and G3, adjacentto the track near the stations, and-recessed to afford springy sides t' adjacent to the tracks, and containingr in the recesses metallic contact` points k. and-connected with the devices D and D' by means ot' conductors Vh' m g' a, leading from the said contact-points,insulated cont-actposts H H' farther from the track than the posts G G' G'l G3 and higher than the latter,

j and connected with the' armatures d d' by means of conductorsff', and means, substantially as described, upon the trains for making electrical contact in and with the respective posts to produce the desired signals, substantiall y as set forth.

3. A railroad-train signal having electromagnetic devices D and D' in the way-stations connected by conducting-wires from one station to the other, contact-posts G, G', G2, and G3, adjacent to thetrack,near thestations, in circuits connecting the same, and recessed to afford springy sides ,and containingin the recesses insulated contact points k, forming the termini of the broken circuits connecting the stations, insulated contactposts H H' within circuits connecting two stations, rubbers o on the locomotives to produce contact in posts G G' G2 G3 in passing the latter and cause the armatures d d' to vibrate, and insulated rubbers p on thc locomotives connected with suitable signaling apparatuses in the same, su bstantial y as described, to rub the posts H H' in passing the latter and actuate the signals in the locomotive, substantially as set forth.

4. A railroad-trainsignal having in the waystations electro-magnetic devices D D', comprising electro-magnets provided with vibratory armatures d', metaL plates c c', and batteries, contact-posts G G' WG", adjacent to the track,near the stations, and recessed toafford springy sides i, and containingin the recesses insulated contact-Imintsk, and connected with the devices D and D' by means of conductors IL m g'a, leading from the said contact-points, insulated contact-posts H H' farther from the track than the posts G G' G2 Gi" and higher than the latter, and connected with the armatures d cl' by means ot' conductors f f', rubbers 0 on the locomotives to produce contact in posts G G' G"` Giin passing the lat-ter and cause the armatures d d' to vibrate, insulated rubbers p on the locomotives to rub the posts H H' in passing'the latter, the signaling devices on the locomotives, comprising each an electro-magnet, K, armature s, spool-and-ratchet mechanism t c w, connected with the signalproducer, and weight L and eonductorr, connecting the rubberp with thesignaling device, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

XVILLIAM VOGEL.

In presence of MASON Baoss, WM. SADLER.

IOO 

